Kendrys Morales Has Four Hits, Adam Wainwright Almost Hits Bird In Royals’ 6-2 Home Win Over Cardinals

Kendrys Morales went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, three singles and two RBIs in the Kansas City Royals’ 6-2 home victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

Kendrys Morales Has Four Hits In Royals’ 6-2 Home Win Over Cardinals

The Royals remain five games behind the American League Central-leading Cleveland Indians, who defeated the Atlanta Braves 8-3 for their 10th consecutive win on Monday.

Morales now has reached base in his last 12 starts, and since June 11 is 20-for-45 (.444) with four homers and 15 RBIs in that stretch. He stroked a two-run single in the first that tied it at 2, and the 33-year-old designated hitter is now batting .243, his best mark since April 25.

“The big thing is I’m loading my backside more and getting through the ball,” Morales, who is Cuban, said through interpreter Pedro Grifol. “I wasn’t doing that earlier in the year.”

Kansas City left-hander Danny Duffy matched a career long with eight strong innings, in which he gave up six hits and two earned runs. He also walked none and struck out eight, the only mark on his performance being a two-run homer to Matt Holliday in the first.

“I didn’t really feel a need to settle down after that,” Duffy said. “I thought I made a good pitch. He’s just so strong. You just tip your cap in that situation.

“It’s nice to go eight innings. Any time you can save the bullpen it’s a good thing. Very gratifying.”

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright entered the game with a 4-0 career mark at Kauffman Stadium with a 2.72 ERA. However, the Royals slammed him with eight hits and six runs (four earned) in the first two innings, making him spend 61 pitches. He left after five innings and 102 pitches.

“If I just make a different pitch three of those times or four of those times, we’re talking about zeros instead of big, crooked numbers,” Wainwright said. “It was pretty frustrating. I had decent stuff today, too.”

All six runs scored off Wainwright came with two outs, and the starter retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.

“Nice job of kind of gritting through five, helping us out,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said.

Wainwright also nearly hit a bird in the bottom of the second inning. The bird snuck around the ace’s breaking ball — and the swing of the bat by Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert– to avoid being pummeled by the ball.

The scene looked very similar to Randy Johnson’s infamous run-in with a bird in 2001, when the legendary Hall of Famer hit one in-flight with a fastball.

Cardinals rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz fouled a ball off, but it bounced off the dirt and back up into his face, thus forcing him out of the game in the ninth inning. Early tests indicate the impact did not cause a fracture. Diaz left the field with a towel to his face and was scheduled to undergo additional exams at a local hospital later in the evening.

The two teams will next face off for the two-game series finale at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night. Right-hander Michael Wacha (3-7, 4.41 ERA), who snapped a 10-start winless streak his last time out, will take the mound for the Cardinals, while right-hander Yordano Ventura (6-4, 4.54) returns from his eight-game suspension on Tuesday to start for the Royals. Ventura last pitched on June 17 and logged 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a win over Detroit.

The Cardinals, who will host the Royals for a two-game series beginning Wednesday, are expected to activate catcher Brayan Pena from the disabled list before Tuesday’s game.